Rishi Sunak pledges to clean up mess left by Truss after King Charles appoints him PM

Britain’s King Charles III on Tuesday appointed new Conservative leader Rishi Sunak as the second prime minister of his reign, shortly after accepting the resignation of Liz Truss.

Photographs distributed by Buckingham Palace showed Charles shaking Sunak’s hand as he appointed him to become Britain’s first prime minister of color.

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Standing in front of his Downing Street office, Britain’s new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, said on Tuesday he would try to fix the mess left by his predecessor, restore faith in politics and tackle a “profound economic crisis” but warned the country there would be difficult decisions.

Sunak paid tribute to Liz Truss, whose economic program roiled the markets, saying the mistakes she made were not “born of ill will or bad intentions.”

He also took aim at another predecessor, Boris Johnson, by saying the mandate the Conservatives were handed at the 2019 election won by the former prime minister was not the property of one individual, and he would be guided by its promises.

“I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Liz Truss ... Some mistakes were made. Not born of ill will or bad intentions. Quite the opposite in fact. But mistakes nonetheless,” he said.

Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stands outside Number 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain, on October 25, 2022. (Reuters)

“And I have been elected as leader of my party and your prime minister, in part to fix them. And that work begins immediately. I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda. This will mean difficult decisions to come.”

Appealing to a pubic facing rising energy and food prices, Sunak, one of the wealthiest lawmakers in parliament, said he fully appreciated how hard things were for many.

“All I can say is that I am not daunted. I know the high office I have accepted and I hope to live up to its demands,” he said.

“So I stand here before you ready to lead our country into the future. To put your needs above politics, to reach out and build a government that represents the very best traditions of my party. Together we can achieve incredible things.”

Johnson urges support for new leader

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson congratulated Rishi Sunak on his appointment as prime minister, urging Conservative Party colleagues to give Sunak their full support.

“Congratulations to (Rishi Sunak) on this historic day, this is the moment for every Conservative to give our new PM their full and wholehearted support,” the former British wrote on Twitter.

Read more: Sunak faces most daunting economic, political task as he becomes UK prime minister